European Commission Executive Vice-President Henna Virkkunen to visit gamescom for the first time

Berlin/Cologne, 17 July 2026 – Henna Virkkunen is visiting gamescom, the world’s biggest games event, for the first time this year. The European Commission’s Executive Vice-President for Tech Sovereignty, Security and Democracy and Commissioner responsible for digital and frontier technologies will take part in the political opening ceremony, where she will speak about the EU’s games strategy. Virkkunen will then join the opening tour alongside Vice-Chancellor and Federal Minister of Finance Lars Klingbeil, Federal Research Minister Dorothee Bär and Hendrik Wüst, Minister President of North Rhine-Westphalia. The tour gives the guests of honour a first-hand impression of the latest developments and trends in the games industry.

About gamescom:

gamescom is the world’s biggest event for computer and video games. It will take place from August 26 to 30, 2026. For trade visitors, gamescom begins on August 24 with the developer conference gamescom dev; for everyone else, it begins on August 25 with gamescom Opening Night Live. It is complemented throughout the year by gamescom latam in São Paulo and gamescom asia x Thailand Game Show in Bangkok. gamescom is jointly organized by Koelnmesse and game – The German Games Industry Association.

game – The German Games Industry Association

We are the association of the German games industry. Our members represent the entire video game ecosystem, from development studios and publishers to esports event organisers, educational institutions and other related entities. We are co-organisers of gamescom, the world’s biggest event for computer and video games. We are a shareholder in the Entertainment Software Self-Regulation Body (USK), the Foundation for Digital Games Culture, the esports player foundation, game events and the collecting society VHG, as well as co-host of the German Computer Game Awards. Serving as a central point of contact for media, as well as political and social institutions, we provide comprehensive expertise in areas including market development, game culture and media literacy, and address any inquiries or concerns. Together we are making Germany the heart of gaming worldwide. With games, we enrich the lives of all people.

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